Pop-Pop

Colonel Vernon J. Henderson, aka Pop-Pop to us, passed away this week after a full and remarkable life. We will miss him terribly, but are glad for Luca that he was able to meet his great grandfather last month in San Diego. The twinge of red in Luca's hair may very well have come from his Henderson genes, and if he finds himself breaking the sound barrier in a fighter jet later in life or riding motorcycles into his ninth decade, there will be no question as to where the adrenaline hound in him originated.

While Pop-Pop was undeniably sick when we visited him, I take solace in the fact that his mind remained incredibly sharp until the end. Luca and Pop-Pop hit it off immediately until Luca, sucking away at his pacifier, looked up with a smile at his great grandfather and tried to pull the oxygen tube out of his nose. Pop-Pop quickly replied with a laugh, "Listen kid, I won't pull your plug if you don't pull mine." Minutes later Pop-Pop picked up my IPhone and navigated it like a teenager would while postulating as to the future of computing, and just last month he joined facebook! I will be forever amazed at Pop-Pop's fearlessness and curiosity, and I hope these traits did indeed pass from him through my mom and on to little Luca.